MEET OUR STAFF

Mike Fazio

As in all great journeys that start with a first step, Mike’s musical journey started when his Uncle Ben gave him a Harmony Stella guitar when he was 10 years old and then showed him a few chords to play while Uncle Ben played melody on mandolin. The audience was his Italian family at holiday gatherings so applause was always given not so much based on proficiency but based on music selection, always Italian songs. The fascination stuck and every free moment was spent playing guitar. Mike started teaching guitar at a seven store music operation called Ludwig Music House at 16 while continuing to play in bands through high school and college. The choice of Retail Business as a major in college was aimed at the department store idea of retailing so Mike had it in the back of his mind that he would have to give up what he loved when finished with his degree. Then one evening waiting for his next student he was observing the normal operations of that music store and realized “this is retailing, the industry just doesn’t know it”. Mike called the President of Ludwig Music House, Robert McDowell who hired him to work at various locations. Mr. McDowell gave Mike every opportunity to apply what he was learning in school to the retail operation with some success and some mistakes but always constant learning. A full time position at Ludwig Music House was the next step after college until a draft notice arrived in 1969 and Mike decided to enlist in the U.S. Air Force, rather than be drafted. Serving in Spain, “The Land of the Guitar”, for more than three years appears to be part of a plan that was evolving. Mike and his wife Cathy married in 1970 lived in Spain and returned to the U.S. in 1973. Mike then worked for McMurray Music as Sales Manager, then General Manager. The McMurray family leased space to Mike for a music lesson operation in their building while he worked for them as General Manager. In 1978 Mike and Cathy decided to open their own music store, Fazio’s Frets & Friends, so the journey continues. Mike says he feels his job has always been two interlocking ingredients, take great care of the customer, and treat the people who take great care of the customer as if they are family. These great ingredients seem to be a recipe that works.

Bryan Rankins

Our Sales Manager Bryan came to work for us in 2000, after being in the automotive world for about 18 years. He plays several instruments, some much better than others. He started playing when he was very young and has been fortunate to play with some very talented individuals throughout the years. Bryan’s talents don’t end with playing though. If you’re looking for something extremely special when it comes to tonewoods, he is your man. He has a way of finding just the right combinations of woods to please anyone’s palette. You can see him on the Taylor website discussing and playing the new GS, and in several of the “Wood & Steel” newsletters they put out. Bob Taylor’s comment when he saw Bryan playing an R. Taylor was “Man, he get’s everything out of a guitar that I build in them”. Quite a statement, but we agree. Please feel free to come by the store or give him a call. Bryan handles several of our high end acoustic lines and all of our video and web production. These days, you can find him playing guitar and even handling a few vocals now and then, with local St Louis favorite, Brian Klos. Check out their schedule at www.brianklos.com and stop by and say hi.

James Gast

Our Store Manager, James Gast, has been with Fazio’s since 97. He has been playing guitar from the ripe old age of 3, and he’s gotten pretty good at it. Prior to coming to work here, James moved to Los Angeles and got his degree as an Audio/Video Engineer. After moving back to St. Louis, he opened his own studio, Prism, recording music and radio commercials. He then went to work for Sable Productions as Chief Engineer working on numerous tv shows and commercials for networks like Fox Sports. He has played guitar in several bands, most notably the group “My 2 Planets”, where he released 2 albums nationally and sold 7 songs to MTV for the “Real World” and “Road Rules” shows. James handles the day to day operations of the store, and does just about all of our product ordering. You’ll recognize him as the one who is running very fast from one place to the other. Too much caffeine we presume. He also handles all of our sound and lighting installs. A very knowledgeable guy in several areas and is our go to guy for recording and sound reinforcement.

Brian Vaccaro

Brian Vaccaro graduated from Webster University in St. Louis in 1996 with a Bachelor's Degree in Music with an emphasis in Jazz Studies. He continued his education at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he earned a Master's Degree in Music in Jazz Guitar Performance in 2000. Outside of his education, Brian has been active as an educator as well as a performer. He has taught a variety of jazz and general music courses at Southwestern Illinois College, St. Louis Community College, and St. Charles Community College such as Jazz History, Jazz Ensemble, Rock History, and numerous others. He has also performed and recorded with many of the top jazz musicians in the St. Louis area. Brian currently oversees the music education department at Fazio's Frets & Friends which includes roughly thirty instructors, individual and group lessons, a regular schedule of visiting artist workshops (including artists such as Larry Coryell, Tuck Andress, Johnny Hiland, Greg Koch, and Ernie Isley to name a few). In 2007, the music education department at Fazio’s will unveil their own guitar curriculum which was compiled and edited by Brian along with Drew Andrews of Mel Bay Publications who will publish this series of books.

Dave Anderson

Dave Anderson started with us in the spring of 2002 as a private instructor, but soon made his way on to our staff helping us with sales as well as repair. Dave has been teaching privately and working in music retail since 1992, and has played pofessionally since the age of 15. He played in the band Cation Horse, touring regionally and sharing bills with bands such as Wilco, Blue Mountain, and the old 97's. In 1998, Dave took an apprenticeship building guitars with Moll Custom Instruments. While at Moll, he gained experience building archtop, flat top, and electric guitars, and even worked on the development of the John Pizzarelli signature model. Dave currently works on the sales floor specializing in electric guitars, pick-ups, and amps, as well as acoustic guitars and repair. When not at fazios he plays lead guitar and pedal steel in the band Cumberland Gap and guitar and steel in the local original band Tenement Ruth. Check out Dave on his band's websites:

www.cumberlandgapband.com
www.myspace.com/cumberlandgap
www.tenementruth.com
www.myspace.com/tenementruth

Pete Tolpa

Pete has been at Fazio’s since 1980…of course he was only 10 years old, buying his first guitar, but he loves guitars and gear so much, that 30 years later, he’s here helping people with their guitar journeys. Pete has spent his musical years in local bands playing progressive rock and blues, really putting his gear to the test. Whether it’s the effects, the amp, or the axes he plays, he’s constantly looking for the “color” and “texture” to make each piece sound its best. In addition to being a player, Pete uses his graphic design background to put a face on the Fazio’s Rock Academy and other promotional materials that set Fazio’s apart from the rest. So if you need advice about guitars, effects, or even something simple like strings and picks, let him know…he’s probably owned them all.

Dan Kuse

Dan Kuse is the newest member of the Fazio team, but is a veteran of the music sales business. Following a 25-year sales and management stint at another well-known music retailer, Dan made the three hour move in fall 2009 to St. Louis to join up with his friend Mike Fazio. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge with him. Guitars are this devestatingly handsome band man's speciality, and he is an ace with pro-sound in live and church applications. He even knows drums, although he'll deny it if you ask! A Missouri native, Dan is a featured entertainer in the Lake of the Ozarks area, and has opened shows for artists as diverse as REO Speedwagon, Charlie Daniels, Air Supply and everything in between. His band website is: www.DanKuse.com

Steve Craig

Coming to Fazio's in July of 2008 as our “Senior” Sales Associate...and by senior, we just mean really old, Steve is a multi-instrumentalist and teaches bluegrass, claw-hammer banjo and hammered dulcimer. For 10 years, Steve built and sold hammered dulcimers for a nationally known maker and currently helps a local luthier building old-time open back banjos. As a child growing up in St. Louis, he is a product of the first “folk scare” of the early 60's. In college he played with John Dillon who later started the band The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, and has opened for Norman Blake, John Hartford, and Leo Koetke. 15 years ago Steve “saw the light”, and now concentrates on old time music. As a self-taught historian, his knowledge and experience spans more years than he's willing to admit and his dulcimer style has been described as “just how a fiddle player would play the tune”. You can get a better handle on what that means by checking out his first CD with Miss Crystal and the Codgers (Steve is a Codger, in case you were wondering), a self-titled release with his better half, Miss Crystal and good friend, Mike Hall...the other Codger. Be sure to pick up their CD the next time you stop in the store. His next project will be a book of fiddle tunes tabbed out for the clawhammer banjo.

Miss Crystal and the Codgers: www.MCAndC.net

Tom Rein

Originally from the Chicago area, Tom Rein has been building and repairing guitars since the early 1970s. Tom served a two-year apprenticeship in guitar building and repair with the late Edward F. Rose in Lexington, Kentucky. To date, Tom has completed nearly 300 instruments including steel-string and classical guitars, lutes and other early instruments, as well as some electric guitars and basses. Before coming to Fazio’s, Tom represented Hibdon Hardwood of St. Louis to other guitar builders across the US and world, from individuals to large companies. When not putting guitars back in top shape at Fazio’s, Tom continues to build guitars at his studio. You may visit his website at: www.ReinGuitars.com

DJ Mueller

DJ came to work for Fazio’s in the Spring of 2009. A very experienced electronics technician, he graduated from SIU Carbondale for electronics technology in 1988. He then went on to work at Wintston Electronics for 2 years, with one of the highlights of his tenure being when he installed the organs at Busch stadium and the Checkerdome. Pretty cool, huh? After working for one of St Louis' largest retail music stores, he started his own business, DJ Music Electronics. In 92', he got the opportunity to work for the famed St Louis Music as a production, service, and engineering technician. In his 15 years there, he made custom equipment for many artists including Sammy Hagar and Van Halen to mention just a few. DJ now heads up our electronics service department, and aside from being a heck of a nice guy, he is also “factory certified” to handle most any brand's warranty. During his busy work schedule, he's also played in many groups, with guitar as his main instrument, but also playing bass and keyboard. His main passion is to just “keep the music happening”. If you've got a piece of equipment that you think just isn't sounding up to par, or you just want to make sure it that it's all it could be, give him a call. He'll be happy to help.

Tony Marks

Tony is the go-to guy for the “ins and outs” of Fazio's. He joined the crew in 2006 after leaving Vanderlay Industries to head up the importing/exporting operations of both the store and website. Tony first worked in the music business at his father's store, Marks Music from 1988-1999. Tony's careful attention to detail makes him an essential element in upholding the Fazio's philosophy that every instrument we sell has passed a thorough inspection and is in perfect working order. He also enjoys long walks on the beach and he has a cat.

Jeff Cooley

Jeff has been a long time fixture at our store. He bought his first guitar from Fazio’s in 1981, and has been a faithful customer ever since. He started working at the store in 1996 in sales, and continues to work part-time for us. Jeff is the kind of guy who you want to have as part of your team. He’s always on time, and always genuinely concerned about getting the customer exactly what they need. When you stop in, say Hi, he’ll take great care of you.

Gray Ewing

Gray Ewing joined the Fazio's team after moving from Lincoln, Nebraska to St. Louis in July of 2010. Although he was a history major at the University of Nebraska, Gray never got too far away from his Mississippi Delta musical roots. Born in Yazoo City MS, Gray played guitar and mandolin in a Gospel/Bluegrass family band with Father and Uncle. Since then, he has diversified his musical interests but songs like "I saw the Light" and "Will the circle be unbroken" are never far from his mind. Gray is a full time seminary student at Covenant Theological and works part time for Fazio's. If you come to Fazio's in the evening, he's probably the first face you'll see. He is more than happy to sign you up for lessons, help you pick out strings, check-in your repairs, and answer any service questions you might have.